Can Social Media Impact your Grades?

 Common Assumptions 

 

     Many parents love to suggest children using technology can have an impact on their grades in a negative way. It is often cited as a reason for bad grades whether it be time-consuming or having negative effects on the children's minds. Why do parents like to blame unsatisfactory grades on technology? Maybe it's because they think it distracts them from studying, or maybe they think keeps children up too late and interferes with their needed sleep. 

What do Children Think?

      Children seem to have a different perspective on the relationship between technology and low grades. From personal experience, I can say technology such as social media or tv streaming services provide less of a distraction and more of an escape from the stress of school. Other kids seem to think technology and grades have no relation and feel school being difficult and stressful is causing lower grades.

The Relationship Between Grades and Technology Locally

     In a study done by UNH students and summarized by Chuck Martin, it was shown there is no major correlation between social media usage and lower grades. They surveyed students from each school in UNH and listed multiple social media platforms in the study. This study calculated both heavy users and light users of each platform. "Of the heavy users of Facebook, 62 percent received high grades and 38 percent received low grades."Light Facebook Users Higher Grades 62% Lower Grades 38%" (Martin) The results were the same for heavy and light users, being a higher percentage of people got higher grades than lower grades. "YouTube Of the heavy users of YouTube, 64 percent receive high grades and 36 percent receive low grades. The results for light users were similar, with 63 percent receiving high grades and 37 percent receiving low grades."(Martin) In the results of each social media platform with both light and heavy losers, more people were getting grades at or above B's. As shown by surveys on multiple social media platforms with over 1,000 students surveyed, social media has virtually no effect on grades.

                     

                                                       

(Wong, Brandon. Social Media Websites Are Likely to Negatively Impact College Students Grades)

The Relationship Between Grades and Technology Globally

      In a study done by The University of Bamberg, Germany, and explained by co-author Caroline Marker, it was discovered that kids who used social media to communicate with friends about school-related topics tended to have higher grades, not lower. "students who used social media intensively to communicate to their peers about school-related topics tended to have slightly higher, not lower grades. In addition, they found that those who were particularly active on social media did not spend less time studying."(Marker) It was also discovered that students who used social media frequently to post and message had slightly worse grades, although the difference was barely notable. "However, those who used social networking sites very frequently, regularly post messages and photos, did have slightly lower grades, although the team stressed that the negative effect is very small."(Marker) Co-author Markus Appel concluded the study by saying concerns of social media affecting grades are essentially baseless. "He concluded that, "Concerns regarding the allegedly disastrous consequences of social networking sites on school performance are unfounded."(Appel) 

 Is There Actually a Basis for These Concerns?

     While there may be a slight truth to these concerns, all surveys seem to be inconclusive. In conclusion, It seems parents are attributing too much to social media and less to the stress and overall difficulty of school. 

Do You Think Social Media is Contributing to Bad Grades? 

Let Me Know!

Works Cited: 

Martin, Chuck. “Social Networking Usage And Grades Among College Students.” Unh.edu, Unh, www.unh.edu/delete/news/docs/UNHsocialmedia.pdf.

The Star Online. “Is Social Media Really Affecting Academic Performance?” The Star Online, 29 July 2019, www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2018/02/22/is-social-media-really- affecting- academic-performance. 

Wong, Brandon. Social Media Websites Are Likely to Negatively Impact College Students Grades, 1 Jan. 1970, brandonwo68.blogspot.com/2014/11/social-media-websites-are-likely-to.html.